Assignment support
Understand your task
Begin by clarifying the assessment requirements. Read the assignment instructions and marking criteria supplied on your course site. The video below explains more about writing assignments at university.
Video length: 2 min 45 sec.
- Doing an assignment isn't a linear process.
- Start by reading the task in detail, so you know what you need to do.
- The assignment instructions and feedback sheet will explain the structure of your assignment.
- You can find out more about different assignment types on the Study Help website.
- You might need to revise your assignment plan as you go - this might happen a few times before you write your final draft!
- As you read more, your argument should evolve to incorporate new information.
- Make sure you use reliable resources to support your argument.
- To interpret your task you will need to identify the content words and phrases - these show what you have to focus on.
- The instruction words tell you how to approach the content, for example, describing something is different to comparing.
- Identify the limits of your assignment by looking at keywords, word limits and other instructions.
- Start the process early to get ahead.
- Assignment planningAssignments require careful planning. Read this guide to stay on track.
- Understanding assignments and instruction words (PDF, 284 KB)This document will help you interpret assignment instructions.
- Understand your assessment taskThis page on the Library Research Skills Guide will give you tips for breaking down your task, understanding different assessment types, and developing a research topic.
Search strategy
Planning your search will save you time and is the key to getting the most out of your search results. See the Plan your search page of this guide for detailed information.
See the Find information page of this guide for an overview of where to search and how to search in the Library Collection and Google Scholar. The page also contains guidance on finding company and industry information, news media and statistics, as well as a list of business, finance and accounting focused databases.
You can find further introductory information about searching in the Library research skills guide:
Critical thinking & analysis
Critical thinking is an essential part of a scholarly approach to learning. It involves analysing and questioning information you receive to arrive at logical, well-reasoned conclusions.
The following resources will assist you in understanding and developing your critical thinking and analysing skills needed for your assignment.
Select appropriate references
While you are finding references, you need to think about whether they are appropriate to use in your assignment. You may be asked to use scholarly or peer-reviewed material to support your arguments.
You should evaluate all resources before including them in your assignment - even if you found them through the Library Collection or databases.
Research versus review articles
It is important to understand the distinction between two common types of scholarly articles.
Research articles demonstrate original research and are referred to as primary sources. Review articles, on the other hand, synthesise and analyse current primary research in a specific subject area. Review articles, including literature reviews, systematic reviews, etc, are referred to as secondary sources.
You may be required for your assignments to focus on one or both types of articles.
More help
Effective team work
Watch the video (5 min 7 sec) below about how to effectively work in a team.
- Group assignmentsResources and tips for working successfully in a group, including dealing with any challenges that may arise.
Writing your assignment
Here are some resources for general writing skills:
- Introducing the 10 Cs of business writing - Video (2 min 48 sec)LinkedIn Learning video.
English for Business Communication by ISBN: 9781351060028This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction for students and professionals who are studying English for business or workplace communication and covers both spoken and written English.
A Practical Guide to Business Writing : Writing in English for Non-Native Speakers by Publication Date: 2012
You may get some good tips from reading about accountant/client relationships:
- Managing client expectations for accountantsLearn how to better manage client expectations during tax season and beyond by Thomson Reuters.
- Manage customer relationshipsUnderstand how to build, manage and measure customer relationships by business.gov.au.
These resources have advice for writing business letters and memos:
- Writing formal business letters and emails - Video (36 min 22 sec)LinkedIn Learning video.
The AMA Handbook of Business Letters by Publication Date: 2012
- Special considerations for memos - Video (3 min 19 sec)Note: You will need to log in to access this LinkedIn Learning video using the institutional license.
Case studies are descriptions of situations which you will likely encounter within your chosen discipline. They may be presented as essays, reports or in specific templates provided to you so you will need to carefully analyse the task you have been given and look at the particular requirements of your assignment.
The Study Help site has useful resources for your studies.
- Case studiesVisit this Study Help page to learn about case studies
To understand your assignment, you need to understand what academic writing is and how formal essays are structured. The Study Help guide has information on writing essays.
- Study help: Writing essaysSEU's help page on writing academic essays.
Watch this short video (2 min 53 sec) below for tips on how to write a report.
- Reports - Study HelpThis report writing overview provides useful tips and report writing examples.
Interviews and presentations
Here are some resources that can help you prepare for oral presentations:
- Better Public Speaking - Mind ToolsStrategies for speaking effectively, how to engage your audience, and coping with nerves.
- Preparing and delivering your oral presentation - UNSWDelivering presentations, tips for reducing your fear, and how to prepare for your oral assessment.
- Oral presentations - Student Engagement Unit UniSAFor more information on oral presentations see the SEU Study Help pages.
- Vid Cruiter interview tipsSixteen helpful tips on how to ace your video interview
- Presenting as a team - Video (58 min 36 sec)LinkedIn Learning course which is subdivided into short videos.
- How to Present and Stay on Point - Video (19 min 34 sec)This LinkedIn Learning course contains a series of short videos on delivering a presentation.
The video below, Presentation basics (3 min 18 sec), is one of the videos in the said LinkedIn Learning course.
There are also some resources in the Tools and software box for using Microsoft PowerPoint for presentations.
Watch the following video on how to build an effective argument.
Video length: 4 min 39 sec
Watch this video (3 min 14 sec) for tips on how to prepare for an online video interview, including preparing yourself, the environment and the technology for a video interview, and how to end a video interview strong.
- How to ace your video interview - Video (5 min 33 sec)This video will tell you how to prepare and make eye-contact through a screen.
Tools and software
Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to machines or computer systems capable of performing tasks that require human intelligence. AI underpins many tools, with examples including web search engines, predictive text, recommendation systems such as those used by Netflix or Spotify, and navigation apps such as Google Maps.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) uses algorithms to generate content (e.g. text or images) in response to a prompt. GenAI tools and apps may help you brainstorm, understand key concepts, or help to improve the clarity of your writing but, before you use them, it is important to understand their risks and limitations.
This short video by UniSA Online outlines what Generative AI is and considerations for using it in academic study.
Video length: 5 min 38 sec
Prompt engineering
Prompt engineering is the process of formulating what you enter into a GenAI tool and affects the response that you get from it. The UniSA Teaching Innovation Unit's guide to AI for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education has some information on how to structure a prompt.
- AI PromptingScroll down the page to the box titled 'AI Prompting' for some tips on how to craft a prompt.
Resources for using AI tools for study
- AI for Teaching and Learning in Higher EducationUniSA guide on using AI in the higher education sector.
- AI for ResearchersUniSA guide for researchers on using AI.
- Student guide to using generative AIDeakin University guide.
- Using Artificial Intelligence (AI)Monash University guide.
- Explore AI tools for research and studyUniversity of Adelaide guide.
Watch the videos below to understand the basics of using excel. To choose a different video in the playlist use the 
icon located in the top right hand corner of the video below.
- Video 1: A basic introduction (4 min 58 sec)
- Video 2: Formulas and functions (5 min 15 sec)
- Video 3: How to make a chart (4 min 23 sec)
Further resources
- Microsoft ExcelMS Excel resource page by University of Wollongong
- Excel help & learningMicrosoft Excel support page
- Getting started with Excel - Video (2 hrs 17 min)LinkedIn Learning video
- ClipchampIt comes in-built with Windows 11 and you can download it to Windows 10 via Microsoft Store or the Clipchamp site. Also offers tutorials to help you get started.
- iMovieNative to and free download for macOS or iOS.
- iMovie SupportiMovie tutorials available at iMovie Support.
- LinkedIn Learning: iMovie Essential Training tutorialUniSA students can access professional level training videos.
- CapCutCapCut is one of many applications for video editing that offer a free version. It is available for all major platforms.
- LinkedIn Learning: CapCut tutorialGo to the above link for a training course on how to shoot and edit with CapCut on your iPhone.
- DaVinci ResolveThere is a free and paid version of this software. There is more than enough functionality available in the free version to edit a video.
- DaVinci Resolve TrainingTraining videos available on many aspects of video editing.
- LinkedIn Learning: DaVinci Resolve FundamentalsFollow this link to take you to professional training videos available for UniSA students.
These resources can help you with creating and recording a video:
- Panopto screen captureRead this to learn how to record your screen using a webcam. This includes a picture-in-picture option.
- Record a PowerPoint presentationWatch the video and follow the written instructions for recording your PowerPoint presentation.
- Oral presentations - Student Engagement Unit UniSAFor more information on oral presentations see the SEU Study Help pages.
For help creating your PowerPoint slides and recording with PowerPoint, please see the following videos on LinkedIn Learning:
- PowerPoint: Designing Better Slides - Video course (1 hr 33 min)This extensive course from LinkedIn Learning is designed for non-designers and covers key design components and requirements for purposeful PowerPoint slide design.
- PowerPoint Quick TipsAlready comfortable with PowerPoint, or want some quick ideas? Watch these quick videos for ways to improve your presentation.